Articles Posted inWorkplace Accidents

Joellyn Swope works as a home health services provider in the Houston area. One of her patients was in a semi-comatose state, and “lacked conscious control over her physical movement,” according to Swope. She was assisting this immobile patient by herself, with no other coworkers in the home.

Swope noticed that she was having problems lifting the patient by herself. She voiced these concerns to her employer, Epic Health Services, Inc. DBA Aveanna Healthcare. However, instead of finding a solution to help Swope successfully help the patient, Aveanna Healthcare reprimanded her for “criticizing the patient’s weight,” as stated in the original petition.

On May 14th, 2017, Swope was attempting to physically lift her patient when the patient’s weight shifted, causing them to roll onto Swope’s wrist. Due to the patient’s inability to control their physical movements and Swope’s difficulty lifting the patient alone, Swope’s wrist became hyper-extended, resulting in injury. According to the Harris County District Court, on March 4th, 2019 Swope filed a lawsuit against her employer for ignoring her complaints concerning her safety while administering incontinence care. As the plaintiff, Swope is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.

Desperate people will do desperate things for money. However, if you think attempting to fool insurance companies with a fake claim sounds like a good idea, think again. Apparently, 57 year old Alexander Goldinsky from New Jersey thought this was a wise idea when he allegedly staged a slip-and-fall incident at a local business.

Waste workers have been facing on-the-job dangers across the country for decades. In fact, the hazards of this essential work was the inspiration for a waste worker strike in 1968 in Memphis. That walkout was sparked by the deaths of two sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker. Both men were crushed by the hydraulic press of their garbage truck.

In 2017 more than 6,400 American workers suffered fatal injuries. Of these incidents, Latinos made up 19 percent of all fatal occupational injuries in the United States. While there are inherent risks on construction and extraction sites, Latino workers also face a bigger dilemma because they’re not fully aware of the rights and resources afforded to them through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and workers’ compensation, respectively.

Work Safety: An Uphill Battle for Latino Workers

According to a recent analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Latino workers over-populate some of the country’s most dangerous industries. In fact, nearly one in three workers in the construction and natural resource extraction industries is Latino. This is a 23.7 percent increase since 2015.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of workplace fatalities, those who died as a result of a job-related accident, is rising and at it’s highest level since 2008. The data shows that approximately 4700 people died from work-related accidents in 2014, the most recent year statistics were gathered, up from the 4500 or so deaths a year earlier. The largest increase in the fatality rate in terms of demographic was the death rate for female workers which almost doubled from 8% to 13% of all workplace accidents. This trend toward increasing workplace fatalities is troubling for OSHA officials who fear that increases in their safety enforcement efforts money are not having the desired effect of reducing work-related fatalities.

Companies in Texas and Oklahoma are opting out of their state’s worker’s compensation plans in record numbers in an attempt to save money on insurance premiums. Rewriting the worker’s compensation policies for large companies like Walmart and Costco has afforded companies lower premiums, but in some cases it’s the injured workers themselves who are paying the price for all that savings.

The construction industry employs workers all over Texas. But safety conditions for workers have stagnated over the years, and workers are at risk of injuries that are often catastrophic.

1 in 5 American Workplace Fatalities Occurs in the Construction Industry

Every day, somewhere in the United States, at least two construction workers die from fatal injuries sustained in workplace accidents, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As many as one in five work-related fatalities in the country occur in the construction industry.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is investigating the cause of an oil platform explosion around 3 p.m. on November 20 that claimed the life of one worker and injured three others. Chauntra Rideaux, spokeswoman for the bureau, said the injured workers were brought to a medical facility for treatment. No word has been released on their conditions.

According to a statement from the bureau, the platform, owned by Houston-based company Fieldwood Energy, was not in production at the time of the explosion. Damage was limited to the area and there was no indication that any oil spills or leaks occurred. The platform is used to manufacture oil and natural gas and is located about 12 miles off the Louisiana coast.

Following the Deepwater Horizon explosion of 2010, oil platform safety in the Gulf of Mexico has been scrutinized heavily by authorities. Injuries suffered on offshore oil platforms are often more serious or fatal due to the time it takes for victims to be transported to medical facilities.

The state of Texas has the highest rate of on-the-job deaths when compared to any other state in the country. According to the Dallas Morning News, workers are 12% more likely to be killed on the job than a worker doing the same job in any other state. While excess deaths among the labor industry are an issue across the country, Texas’ high rate of deaths should be possible to avoid.

As a right-to-work state, laborers can work in Texas without needing to join a union. For many workers, this provides more opportunities to be hired for work. However, a union has the power to require all workers be trained and all jobs they work meet every safety requirement. When workers are not part of a union, it is much more difficult for them to make demands from any sort of job. Many are treated as independent contractors so there is no required minimum hourly wage, no overtime, no required safety training or equipment, and no compensation for on-the-job injuries. Texas has the sixth lowest rate of union membership of any state in the country.

A demolition crew was trapped inside the wreckage of a house they were taking down when the structure collapsed on August 14. Three men, including the owner of the house, were working on demolishing the home located in Gregory, Texas when the structure reportedly became unstable.

According to police Sgt. David G. Martinez, one of the men suffered fatal injuries while another was taken to Christus Spohn Hospital Memorial with serious injuries. He was listed in critical condition but stabilized after his arrival. The homeowner at first refused treatment but was later taken to the hospital with undetermined injuries, according to reports.

Crews investigated the wreckage and according to Fire Chief Juan Jimenez, the men had removed most of the walls of the structure and the wooden house collapsed in on them.

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